1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to optical waveguides and more particularly to connectors for optical fibers.
2. Brief Description of Prior Developments
The use of optical fibers has revolutionized communications and consequently that use has greatly increased over the past several years. As part of that use it has become increasingly necessary to connect optical fiber cables to circuit boards by means of backplane connectors. Circuit boards are conventionally manufactured in a variety of thicknesses. Consequently it has been necessary to provide a separate connector for each circuit board thickness. A need, therefore, exists for a type of backplane connector which can be used on a wide variety of circuit board thicknesses.
Another disadvantage of the backplane connectors which have heretofore been used to connect fiber optic cables to circuit boards is that the exterior housings of such connectors have conventionally been made in two sections and the need has existed to ultrasonically weld or adhesively bond those sections to each other. This additional step of ultrasonically welding the exterior housings is time consuming and expensive. The need, therefore, exists for a fiber optic connector which can be manufactured without this step.
Furthermore, while fiber optical cables are not conductive, they can accumulate significant charges of static electricity. Such charges can in turn discharge through the system and can damage sensitive electrical components. A still further disadvantage of the prior art systems is, therefore, that they provide no means for discharging static charges or power electromagnetic interference (EMI) pulses to a safe grounded path. A need for providing such a capability accordingly exists.